Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 20 October 2019

::NATIONAL::

PM urges entertainment industry to use its spirit for nation building

Prime Minister NarendraModi has appealed to the entertainment fraternity to harness the immense power of creativity for the nation-building.
He interacted with the members of the creative and entertainment world in New Delhi yesterday on ways to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi exchanged thoughts on a wide range of subjects.
He said Mahatma Gandhi is synonymous with simplicity and his thoughts reverberate far and wide. He said, several people from the world of films and television have been doing great work when it comes to popularising the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi.
The Prime Minister appealed to the gathering to think about ensuring more tourists come to India. He asked the members of the film industry to visit the Dandi museum and the ‘Statue of Unity.
Prime Minister said that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami informed him that after the Informal Summit between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jingping in Mamallapuram, tourist arrivals have increased.
He told film personalities present during the interaction that their work has reached all corners of the world and on the part of the Government, he would be happy to help in any way to ensure maximum impact of their creative initiatives.
He said, the members of the film industry came with a lot of suggestions and he is happy to share that the government has addressed them to ensure more people can see brilliant work done by our film personalities.

Gusty winds and rainfall reduce Delhi pollution significantly

Delhiites breathed easy yesterday as pollution levels in the national capital reduced significantly owing to gusty winds and rainfall in neighbouring areas.
The overall air quality index (AQI) fluctuated between 128 and 157, which falls in the moderate category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's data.
KuldeepSrivastava, a senior scientist at the Indian Meteorological Department said, rainfall in Punjab, Haryana, and nearby areas due to a western disturbance reduced the effect of stubble burning on the city's air quality.
He added, winds clocking 20-25 kilometres per hour will continue to blow in Delhi for the next two to three days, which is favourable for air quality. But, the direction will completely change to northwesterly October 21 onwards.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality forecast and research service, SAFAR data showed the share of smoke from stubble burning in neighbouring states on Delhi's PM2.5 concentration was nil on Saturday. It will increase to five per cent today and to 15 per cent tomorrow.

::ECONOMY::

Finance ministry claims India to ensure inclusive development despite economic slowdown

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman has said that India is committed to have a sound macro-economic environment conducive to fuel growth and ensure inclusive development, notwithstanding the recent slowdown.
Addressing the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington yesterday, Sitharaman said, India is firmly committed to the path of fiscal consolidation. She said fiscal deficit has been budgeted to be 3.3 per cent of GDP in Financial Year 2019-20 compared to the 3.4 per cent in the preceding year.
The IMF in its latest World Economic Outlook released on Tuesday, projected the country's growth rate at 6.1 per cent for 2019 and noted that the Indian economy is expected to pick up at 7 per cent in 2020.
Sitharaman said India has provided impetus to growth by rationalising and reducing corporate tax rates that will stimulate private sector investment in infrastructure and industry.
Union Finance Minister said negotiations between India and the United States on a trade deal are going on in "full speed" and expressed hope that it will conclude soon.
The ongoing trade deal negotiations briefly came up for discussion during a pull-aside between Sitharaman and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin at the IMF headquarters.

IMF agrees to double aid to distressed countries

Global Finance Ministers yesterday agreed to double a key pool of money that the International Monetary Fund can use to aid distressed countries but again put off giving more votes to major emerging economies.
The IMF has been working to restructure its voting shares to give more weight to growing economies like China, India and Brazil but some traditional powers have resisted since they stand to lose influence in the institution.
However, a new division of voting power would be expected to result in increases in the quota shares of dynamic economies in line with their relative positions in the world economy.
The Washington-based lender, founded in the wake of World War II, has traditionally been controlled by the United States and western European countries. But major developing economies, which account for a growing share of global GDP, warn that without a shift of the power structure the IMF risks losing legitimacy and the ability to influence economic policies.
The IMF gets most of its resources through member quotas but since the review was pushed back it will rely on the special fund, known as the New Arrangements to Borrow, NAB, to ensure it has sufficient resources to ward off a new crisis. The NAB was rolled back following the global financial crisis and the current iteration was approved for five years through November 2022.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

India to expand cooperation with Phillippines to combat terrorism

India and the Philippines have committed to work closely to defeat and eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. In Joint press statements after delegation-level talks with President Rodrigo Duterte of Philippines, President Ram NathKovind said, both countries have been the victims of terrorism.
The President said, the Philippines and India have also agreed to deepen defense and maritime security partnership and to make it a key pillar of their bilateral cooperation. The President conveyed New Delhi's readiness to cooperate with Manila to strengthen the Space programme.
He said, both sides are exploring to start direct flights, which will give a boost to connectivity. The two countries will set up a group of experts to research and document their ancient ties.
After the talks, India and the Philippines signed four agreements covering maritime domain, security, tourism, science and technology and culture.

Chile declares emergency in Santiago

Chile's President Sebastian Pinera has declared a state of emergency in Santiago and gave the military responsibility for security after a day of violent protests over an increase in the price of metro tickets.
Protestors clashed with riot police throughout yesterday in several parts of the capital, Santiago, and the subway system was shut after attacks on stations in some of the worst violence the city has seen in years. At least 16 buses were torched and a dozen metro stations totally destroyed.
The President has appointed Major General Javier Iturriagadel Campo as the head of national defence. In a statement, he said the objective of the state of emergency is to ensure public order and peace for the inhabitants of Santiago.
The state of emergency is initially for 15 days and restricts freedom of movement and assembly. General Iturriaga said the military would patrol major trouble spots in the city of seven million but would not impose a curfew at present.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Swiss glaciers shrink by 10% in last 5 years

Switzerland Glaciers have lost a tenth in their volume in the past five years. The melting is the largest in the last 5 years of observation.
The Cryospheric commission at the Swiss Academy of Sciences published the annual study on the state of glaciers. According to the study, around 20 glaciers have shown melt rates that have reached record levels.
There are more than 500 glaciers in the country. There are campaigns and awareness programs being conducted all over the country about the fast melting of the glaciers.
Recently, “Funeral March” was undertaken to mark the disappearance of Pizol Glacier in the beginning of 21st century.
More than 4,000 glaciers are to disappear from the Alps at the end of this century if green house gas emissions are not controlled.

::SPORTS::

India loses to Britain in Sultan of Johor cup

Indian junior hockey men's team lost a second consecutive final to Great Britain in the Sultan of Johor Cup as it succumbed to a 1-2 loss at Johor Bahru, Malaysia today.
The first three-quarters of the match went goalless. Indian forward Gursahibjit Singh broke the deadlock in the 49th minute with a goal from a penalty corner.
However, Britain struck back through Stuart Rushmere's drag-flick in the 50th minute. In the dying seconds of the match, Rushmere scored another goal as Britain bagged its second title in as many years. Last year, India lost 4-3 to Britain in the penalty shootout after the teams were tied 2-2 after regulation time.